System and method for filling content gaps

Abstract

A system and method including an agent for selecting at least two songs among simultaneously streaming songs based on user information and inserting additional content in the duration of time between the end of the earlier song and the start of the later song.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method of selecting content comprising:
 playing first data representative of first content having a beginning and an end, the first data streaming via a first channel during a first time period; 
 selecting second data representative of second content having a beginning and an end, the second content streaming via a second channel during a second time period such that the beginning of the second time period occurs a duration of time after the end of the first time period; 
 retrieving third content based on the length of the duration of time; 
 between the start time and stop time of the first content, accessing streaming data associated with the first content; 
 between the start time and stop time of the second content, accessing streaming data associated with the second content; 
 playing the first content; 
 playing the third content after the first content; and 
 playing the second content after the third content. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1  wherein the content includes audio information. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 2  wherein the first and second content includes songs. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1  wherein the third content is an advertisement. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 4  wherein the first content and second content are not advertisements. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1  wherein the second content is selected based on a user's preference for particular types of content. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 6  wherein the type is the genre of the song. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 6  further including the step of determining the user's preference based on demographic information relating to the user. 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 8  wherein the demographic information includes the user's age. 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 8  wherein the demographic information includes the user's geographic region. 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 8  wherein the user demographic information includes the user's gender. 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 1  wherein the content is accessed via a connection over a network. 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 12  wherein the network is the Internet. 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 1  wherein the step of selecting includes obtaining information about the second content over a network. 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 14  wherein the information is obtained by accessing text over the network. 
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 15  wherein the text is available for transmission when the content associated with the text is available for access. 
     
     
       17. The method of  claim 16  wherein the text includes the title of the content. 
     
     
       18. The method of  claim 1  wherein the first and second data are streamed from servers associated with different URL domains. 
     
     
       19. The method of  claim 18  wherein the network is the Internet. 
     
     
       20. The method of  claim 18  wherein the first content is streamed on a first Internet channel and the second content is streamed on a second Internet channel. 
     
     
       21. A method of transitioning between songs comprising:
 playing a first song; 
 identifying a second song to be streamed after the end of the first song; 
 if the second song begins a duration of time after the end of the first song, retrieving audio information; 
 at the end of the first song, playing the retrieved audio information; and 
 playing the second song after it begins streaming and after the end of the retrieved audio information. 
 
     
     
       22. The method of  claim 21  wherein the retrieved audio information is an advertisement. 
     
     
       23. The method of  claim 21  wherein the retrieved audio information comprises at least two stacked advertisements. 
     
     
       24. The method of  claim 21  wherein the first song and second song are streamed over a network. 
     
     
       25. The method of  claim 24  wherein the retrieved audio information is accessed via the network. 
     
     
       26. The method of  claim 25  wherein the retrieved audio information is streamed via the network. 
     
     
       27. The method of  claim 24  wherein the retrieved audio information is not retrieved over the network. 
     
     
       28. The method of  claim 27  wherein the retrieved audio information is a locally stored song. 
     
     
       29. The method of  claim 21  wherein the retrieved audio information is a song. 
     
     
       30. The method of  claim 21  wherein retrieved audio information is selected so that the duration of the retrieved audio information is about equal to the duration of time between the end of the first song and the start of the second song. 
     
     
       31. The method of  claim 30  wherein the step of retrieving audio information includes retrieving a plurality of advertisements whose total combined time is about equal to the duration of time between the end of the first song and the start of the second song. 
     
     
       32. The method of  claim 21  further including retrieving and playing additional audio information if the retrieved audio information ends before the second song starts streaming. 
     
     
       33. A method of transitioning between songs comprising:
 (a) playing a first song; 
 (b) identifying, based on information relating to a user, a second song to be streamed after the end of the first song; 
 (c) if the second song begins a duration of time after the end of the first song, then retrieving audio information based on the duration and playing the retrieved audio information between the end of the first song and the beginning of the second song; and 
 (d) if the second song begins before the end of the first song, then storing the second song in memory as it streams and playing, from the memory, the second song after the end of the first song. 
 
     
     
       34. The method of  claim 33  wherein, if the second song begins before the end of the first song, then the second song is played upon the end of the first song. 
     
     
       35. The method of  claim 33  wherein the information relating to a user includes the user's demographic information. 
     
     
       36. The method of  claim 33  wherein the information relating to a user includes the user's music preferences. 
     
     
       37. The method of  claim 36  wherein the user's music preferences include at least one of the following preferences: the user's preferred artists, the user's preferred song titles and the user's preferred music genre. 
     
     
       38. A system for playing songs comprising:
 a processor capable of executing instructions; and 
 a connection to a network streaming songs, the instructions including: identifying a second song to be streamed after the end of a first streaming song, if the second song begins a duration of time after the end of the first song, retrieving audio information based on the duration of time and, at the end of the first song, playing the retrieved audio information followed by the second song. 
 
     
     
       39. The system of  claim 38  further comprising a connection to a network. 
     
     
       40. The system of  claim 38  wherein the system is a general purpose computer. 
     
     
       41. The system of  claim 38  further including a content server connected to the network, the content server streaming the first song. 
     
     
       42. The system of  claim 38  further including a server connected to the network, the server providing the audio information to be retrieved in response to a request initiated by the processor. 
     
     
       43. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including instructions for:
 playing a first song; 
 identifying a second song to be streamed after the end of the first song; 
 if the second song begins a duration of time after the end of the first song, retrieving audio information based on the duration of time; 
 at the end of the first song, playing the retrieved audio information; and 
 playing the second song after it begins streaming and after the end of the retrieved audio information.